June 16, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
457 
taken up with a ball and potted into the 5-inch pots at once, put on the 
north side of a wall, kept moist for two or three weeks until the roots 
take to the soil, then fully exposed to the sun in frames without lights, 
where they may remain until they are wanted for forcing, putting 
lights on in bad weather. I have adopted this system for years, potting 
them in September with the best possible results. It is one of the most 
floriferous, and consequently prolific. Strawberries grown. No sooner 
does it ripen its fruit than it begins to show its flower spikes again ; and 
by planting out in the ground a batch that have been forced I have 
had them a complete mass of bloom in September, taken them up, 
repotted into 7-inch pots, and thus had Strawberries up to Christmas. 
repay any care necessary in their culture. They are easily propa¬ 
gated by cuttings of young wood taken off close to where they 
issue from the previous season’s wood. These, if inserted in sandy 
soil, well watered, plunged in brisk bottom heat, and covered with 
a bellglass, will nearly all root. Another reliable plan is to cut 
shoots of half-ripened wood into lengths of two joints ; these if 
treated the same as advised above will also root freely, but not sO' 
quickly as the softer shoots. 
The secret in growing Dipladenias is to water them with great 
care. From the first attention should be paid to this matter, or 
failure is certain to result. During the season of growth it is wise 
to keep the plants on the dry side, but being careful never to 
FIG. 78.—DIPLADENIA ATRO-PURPUREA VAR. CLAEKEl. 
Some years ago I got in a dozen good varieties, amongst them Sir 
Joseph Paxton, Sir Harry, James Veitch, and Duke of Edinburgh, 
planted them on a bank with a south-west aspect along with some of 
the Vicomtesse, and whilst every other variety failed to yield a satis¬ 
factory crop the Vicomtesse produced abundance of fruit. It does well 
here whether planted out of the pots after forcing or from runners. 
A good companion to it is a variety I got from Little & Ballantyne 
(sent out I believe by them), called John Ruskin, a prolific variety, 
sending its fruit boldly above the foliage, quite distinct m flower and 
fruit from the Vicomtesse.—J, Smith, Asliet Hill, Leeds. 
DIPLADENIAS. 
For purposes of general decoration these plants deserve to be 
grown on a much larger scale. We rarely find them well grown 
except by those who prepare plants for the exhibition tent. The 
flowers are so useful for table decoration that they would amply 
allow them to suffer by an insufficient supply of water. During 
the winter or resting period they need very little water, only 
sufficient to keep the wood plump. From the first the plants 
should be assisted by bottom heat ; a temperature of 85° will suit 
them admirably. The pots need not be plunged into the material 
that supplies the bottom heat, or into any plunging material that 
may be employed over hot-water pipes. It is better to stand them 
on the surface so that proper attention can be given to watering. 
When plunged there is the danger of the soil getting too wet, and 
the plants suffering seriously in consequence. 
During the season of growth a night temperature of 70° should 
be maintained, while during the day the temperature may rise 10° 
or even 20" higher. The plants require a moist atmosphere, and 
may be syringed twice daily when the weather is bright and warm. 
The plants should be trained under the roof, and freely exposed to- 
the sun. This is important if they are to flower freely, which they 
will not do if the wood is not firm and thoroughly ripened. The 
shoots of young plants should be allowed to extend as much as 
